Systems and methods for identifying and merging recorded segments belonging to the same program

ABSTRACT

Systems and methods for providing an interactive media guidance application for merging recorded video segments that are from the same program are provided. In response to a recording interruption, the interactive media guidance application may record multiple video segments. After recording the segments, the interactive media guidance application may search for and merge these segments to form a single recording. In some embodiments, the interactive media guidance application may detect the presence of a previously recorded segment. After detecting the previously recorded segment, the interactive media guidance application may automatically record the video following the end of the previously recorded segment. The interactive media guidance application may use data associated with the segments and other media cues to match the segments. The interactive media guidance application may also identify the duration of the recorded video content and provide choices for recording the video again.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.12/187,026 filed Aug. 6, 2008, which is hereby incorporated herein inits entirety.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates generally to media systems and, moreparticularly, to systems and methods for merging recorded segmentsbelonging to the same program in response to a recording interruption.

Media systems, such as digital video recorders (DVRs), personal videorecorders (PVRs), and other local or remote storage systems forrecording and managing media (e.g., television programs) are known.These media systems usually include media guidance applications, such asinteractive television program guides, which allow users to performnumerous functions relating to the available media. For example, theuser may, among other things, view a list of recordings stored on themedia system, view detailed information for each recording, play arecording, delete recordings from the media system, and schedule videosfor recording on the media system.

Conventional media guidance applications, however, are limited in theirability to respond to recording interruptions. For example, a mediaguidance application may be in the middle of recording video when poweris cutoff. Once power is restored, the media guidance application mayrestart recording, creating a second recording of the remaining segmentof the video. When the user then tries to watch the video, the user'sviewing experience is suboptimal because some video failed to berecorded and each segment of recorded video needs to be found andselected for playback. Furthermore, in some cases, the user may not evenknow how to find the second recording because it is not clearlyidentified.

In addition to playback, other tasks associated with the video are alsoproblematic. For example, in order to delete the video, users need todelete each recorded segment individually.

Moreover, in conventional media guidance applications, it is sometimesdifficult for a user to determine that a video is incomplete in somecases and then figure out a way to re-record the video. For example, ifa user detects that a recording is incomplete (e.g., by noting aninconsistency between the scheduled length and the recorded length or bywatching the recorded portion), to get a complete copy, the usertypically needs to conduct a manual search for a future airing of thevideo, which may be time-consuming and cumbersome. In some situations,the user may not even realize that the first recording is incompleteuntil days later. By that time, the user may have already missed severalopportunities to re-record the video.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In view of the foregoing, a more intelligent solution for recordingvideos is provided. An interactive media guidance applicationautomatically merges recorded segments of the same program to form asingle recording.

In some embodiments, a recording control application attempts orinitiates a first recording of a video, recording a first segment of thevideo until a recording interruption occurs. In response to therecording interruption, the recording control application attempts orinitiates a second recording of the video, recording a second segment ofthe video, and merges the two segments of the video to form a singlerecording. The recording control application is any suitable applicationfor controlling the recording of video on a recording device and, insome embodiments, providing a user interface for recording relatedfeatures. For purposes of clarity, and not by way of limitation, therecording control application is described as a type of interactivemedia guidance application, more specifically, an interactive televisionprogram guide.

In some cases, the first and second recordings may have beennecessitated by a recording interruption. For example, a system failuremay occur, such as an interruption of a transmission of the video (e.g.,loss of streams in switched digital video (SDV) systems), a powerfailure, or an equipment failure (e.g., recording medium failure). Forinstance, the interactive media guidance application may be recording anepisode of a television series from a broadcast source when therecording is interrupted (e.g., by a power failure). As another example,the user may interrupt a recording accidentally, such as by changing thechannel or turning off the system. As yet another example, an emergencyalert may interrupt a recording. As a further example, the first segmentof video may be corrupted.

Thus, in response to receiving a suitable input (e.g., detecting arecording interruption or receiving a suitable user input), theinteractive media guidance application may merge multiple recordingsegments to form a single recording. Any suitable approaches may be usedto detect a recording interruption. For example, after making arecording (e.g., a second recording), the application may automaticallysearch for another video recording that is from the same program (e.g.,a first recording with the same schedule, description, and/or title). Asanother example, a first recording with a length that is substantiallyless than the total duration of the program (e.g., the total durationmay be provided by a program database that includes a description of theprogram) may be suspected of being an interrupted recording.

The interactive media guidance application may determine that the firstand second recordings are segments of the same program in one or moreways. For example, the interactive media guidance application maycompare the data associated with the first and second recordings. Asanother example, if data cannot be located for either segment, theinteractive media guidance application searches for matching media cuesin the video signals. For instance, the interactive media guidanceapplication may use face recognition to search for the same people inthe segments. In addition, the interactive media guidance applicationmay use voice recognition to search for the same voices in the segments.

In some embodiments, the interactive media guidance application maydetermine that the first and second recordings are segments of the sameprogram by extracting a plurality of still frames from both recordings,isolating objects from the plurality of still frames, comparing a firstisolated object to the other isolated objects to determine a first matchcount for each of those objects that closely resemble the first isolatedobject, comparing each of the rest of the isolated objects to the otherobjects to determine a match count for each, selecting a subset of theobjects from each recording, wherein the subset comprises N objects fromeach recording with the highest match counts, and determining theaverage match count between the N objects from the first recording andthe N objects from the second recovering, wherein if the average matchcount exceeds a threshold, the two recordings are determined to besegments of the same program.

After determining that the first and second recordings are segments ofthe same program, the interactive media guidance application merges thefirst and second segments to form a single recording. For example, theinteractive media guidance application may merge the first and secondsegments by concatenating or logically appending the second segment tothe end of the first segment.

In some embodiments, rather than recording a second segment of video,the interactive media guidance application may directly merge the firstsegment of video with video that is currently being received. Forexample, the interactive media guidance application may attempt todetect the presence of the first segment of video. After locating thefirst segment, the interactive media guidance application may form asingle recording by automatically recording the current video followingthe end of the first segment. As another example, following an eventthat may potentially interrupt a recording (such as a power failure oran emergency alert), the interactive media guidance application maycheck a log of recordings that were in progress within a given priortimeframe or search a local memory for segments of videos that may havebeen partially recorded.

In some cases, after forming the merged recording, the interactive mediaguidance application may alert the user to the input that triggered themerge (e.g., a recording interruption such as a system failure or a userinput). For example, the interactive media guidance application may marka listing (e.g., a recorded video listing) for the recording of thefirst segment, the second segment, and/or the single recording asincomplete or corrupted. As another example, the interactive mediaguidance application may display an alert prompt that providesinformation about the recording interruption or the user input.

Furthermore, the interactive media guidance application may determinethat the single recording has insufficient video content. For example,the interactive media guidance application may compare the duration ofthe recording to the duration or the video in its originally distributedform. The interactive media guidance application may obtain the durationbased on data associated with the video. Or, for example, theinteractive media guidance application may compare the duration of therecording to the duration or a typical television broadcast. As anotherexample, the interactive media guidance application may directlydetermine the amount of video content that is in the single recordingbased on a broadcast schedule provided by the media source.

If the interactive media guidance application determines that the singlerecording has insufficient video content (e.g., if the duration is belowa certain threshold), the interactive media guidance application mayprovide a choice for recording the video again. In response to the userselecting a recording choice, the interactive media guidance applicationmay attempt to acquire the video. In some embodiments, in response tothe user selecting a choice for obtaining the video from a non-on-demandsource (e.g., a regular cable or satellite television channel), theinteractive media guidance application may re-record the video on alater airing. In some embodiments, in response to the user selecting achoice for obtaining the video from an on-demand source, the interactivemedia guidance application may directly acquire the video or set abookmark reference to the content in a recordings list.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The above and other features of the present invention, its nature andvarious advantages will be more apparent upon consideration of thefollowing detailed description, taken in conjunction with theaccompanying drawings, and in which:

FIG. 1 shows an illustrative interactive media system in accordance withone embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 2 shows an illustrative network for supplying videos via a mediasource in accordance with one embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 3 shows an illustrative data structure that includes dataassociated with videos in accordance with one embodiment or theinvention;

FIG. 4 shows an illustrative recorded video listing display screen inaccordance with one embodiment of the invention;

FIGS. 5 and 6 show illustrative recorded video listing display screensafter a merged recording has been created in accordance edit oneembodiment of the invention;

FIG. 7 shows an illustrative display screen with an alert prompt overlaythat is displayed in response to receiving a playback command for amerged recording in accordance with one embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 8 shows an illustrative display screen with a recording choicesoverlay that is displayed in response to receiving a re-record commandin accordance with one embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 9 shows an illustrative display screen with a confirmation promptoverlay that is displayed in response to receiving a scheduling commandin accordance with one embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 10 shows an illustrative display screen with a price prompt overlaythat is displayed in response to receiving a download command for avideo in accordance with one embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 11 shows an illustrative display screen with a downloading promptoverlay that is displayed while downloading a video in accordance withone embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 12 shows an illustrative display screen with a confirmation promptoverlay that is displayed when a video has finished downloading inaccordance with one embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 13 shows an illustrative merging and re-recording video setupdisplay screen in accordance with one embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 14 shows another illustrative merging and re-recording video setupdisplay screen in accordance with one embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 15 shows an illustrative recorded video listing display screen witha prompt overlay for merging segments of video in accordance with oneembodiment of the invention;

FIG. 16 shows an illustrative recorded video listing display screen inresponse to receiving a selection of a recording in accordance with oneembodiment of the invention;

FIG. 17 shows a flowchart of an illustrative process for mergingsegments of the same program in accordance with one embodiment of theinvention;

FIG. 18 shows a flowchart of an illustrative process for automaticallyrecording video after a previously recorded segment of the video inaccordance with one embodiment of the invention; and

FIGS. 19A-19B show flowcharts of an illustrative process for alertingusers to an input that triggered merging of video segments in accordancewith one embodiment of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Although the embodiments described below may refer to recording inbroadcast digital or analog television systems, it is to be clearlyunderstood that the systems and methods of the invention may be usedwith any suitable video or audio content (i.e., on-demand or recordedcontent) in any suitable media system (e.g., radio-frequency broadcast,cable, satellite, on-demand, and IPTV system) in which video or audiocontent is received and displayed simultaneously by a user device.

FIG. 1 shows illustrative interactive media system 100 in accordancewith one embodiment of the invention. User equipment 110 receives videosin the form of signals from media source 120 over communications path122. In practice there may be multiple media sources 120 and userequipment 110, but only one of each has been shown in FIG. 1 to avoidover-complicating the drawing.

Media source 120 may be any suitable media source such as, for example,a cable system headed, satellite media distribution facility, mediabroadcast facility, Internet protocol television (IPTV) head end,on-demand server (e.g., VOD server), website, game service provider(e.g., for online gaming), SDV system (e.g., comprising SDV manager,edge-resource manager, and edge-QAM subsystems) or any other suitablefacility or system for originating or distributing videos. Media source120 may be configured to transmit signals over any suitablecommunications path 122 including, for example, a satellite path, afiber-optic path, a cable path, an Internet path, or any other suitablewired or wireless path. The signals may carry any suitable videos suchas, for example, television programs, games, music, news, web services,video, or any other suitable types of media. In some embodiments, mediasource 120 may include control circuitry for executing requests from atrick-play client or an interactive media guidance applicationimplemented in, for example, user equipment 110 or a VOD server.

User equipment 110 may include any equipment suitable for providing aninteractive media experience. User equipment 110 may include televisionequipment such as a television, set-top box, recording device, videoplayer, user input device, or any other device suitable for providing aninteractive media experience. For example, user equipment 110 mayinclude a DCT 2000, 2500, 5100, 6208 or 6412 set-top box provided byMotorola, Inc. In some embodiments, user equipment 110 may includecomputer equipment, such as a personal computer with a television card(PCTV). In some embodiments, user equipment 110 may include a hometheatre consumer electronic device such as, for example, a gaming system(e.g., X-Box, PlayStation, or GameCube) or a portable consumerelectronic device, such as a portable DVD player, a portable gamingdevice, a cellular telephone, a PDA, a music player (e.g., MP3 player),or any other suitable home theatre or portable device.

In the example of FIG. 1, user equipment 110 includes at least controlcircuitry 116, display device 112, and user input device 114 which maybe implemented as a separate device or as a single device. Userequipment 110 may optionally include recording device 118 which may beimplemented as a separate device or as a single device. An interactivemedia guidance application may be implemented on user equipment 110 toprovide media guidance functions to the user for videos displayed ondisplay device 112. In addition to or instead of the interactive mediaguidance application, it will be understood that any suitable type ofapplication may be used to provide media features to the user, such asfor example an interactive television application, a trick-play client,a recording control application, or any other application.

Display device 112 may be any suitable device such as, for example, atelevision monitor, a computer monitor, or a display incorporated inuser equipment 110 (e.g., a cellular telephone or portable music playerdisplay). Display device 112 displays the videos transmitted by mediasource 120 over path 122, and the displays of the trick-play client.Display device 112 may also be configured to provide for the output ofaudio.

User input device 114 may be any suitable device for interfacing withthe interactive media guidance application. For example, user inputdevice 114 may be a remote control, keyboard, mouse, touch pad, touchscreen or voice recognition interface. User input device 114 maycommunicate with user equipment 110 and control circuitry 116 using anysuitable communications link. For example, user input device 114 may usean infra-red (IR), radio-frequency, Bluetooth, wireless (e.g., 802.11),wired, or any other suitable communications link. The informationreceived by user input device 114 may either be classified as a sourceselection command or a guidance application navigation command. A sourceselection command may include a channel change selection, video ondemand selection, digital video recorder selection, or any suitableselection that causes the user to view content different than thecontent the user is currently viewing. The content the user is currentlyviewing may be defined as content that is currently being displayed onthe display device 112. A guidance application navigation command mayinclude any suitable command that allows the user to change theinformation displayed in the interactive media guidance application.

Control circuitry 116 is adapted to receive user inputs from user inputdevice 114 and execute the instructions of the interactive mediaguidance application. Control circuitry 116 may include one or moretuners (e.g., analog or digital tuners), encoders and decoders (e.g.,MPEG decoders), processors (e.g., Motorola 68000 family processors, orMIPS family processors), memory 117 (e.g., RAM and hard disks),communications circuitry (e.g., cable modem circuitry), input/outputcircuitry (e.g., graphics circuitry), connections to the various devicesof user equipment 110, and any other suitable component for providinganalog or digital video programming, video recording, and interactivemedia guidance features. In some embodiments, control circuitry 116 maybe included as part of one of the devices of user equipment 110 such as,for example, part of display device 112 or any other device (e.g., aset-top box, television and video player).

In some embodiments, control circuitry 116 may include a processor(e.g., a microcontroller or microprocessor) that receives and executesinteractive media guidance application instructions. Memory 117 mayinclude random-access memory for use when executing applications.Nonvolatile memory may also be used to store a boot-up routine or otherinstructions. In other embodiments, interactive media guidanceapplication instructions may be executed in other suitable stand alonehardware.

Recording device 118 may be a personal video recorder (PVR), digitalvideo recorder (DVR), video cassette recorder (VCR), DVD-recorder,compact disc recorder, or any other suitable recording device or storagedevice. In some embodiments, recording device 118 may be a storagedevice for storing or recording content or data recorded or provided byother components of interactive media system 100 (e.g., a storage devicefor caching live television programs to enable trick play functions).Recording device 188 may store a recording or video as a segment.Recording device 118 may include one or more tuners, and may beconfigured to cache video as the user receives it with user equipment110 (e.g., cache the currently tuned channel) to provide trick-playfunctions for the user.

A hard disk and other storage in recording device 118 may be used tosupport databases. For example, user equipment may include database 119for storing media guidance information for recorded videos and/or videodata obtained from various media sources. A hard disk or other storagein recording device 118 may also be used to record videos such astelevision programs or video-on-demand content or other content providedto recording device 118.

In some embodiments, recording device 118 may include IR communicationscircuitry or other suitable communications circuitry for communicatingwith a remote control (e.g., with user input device 114). Recordingdevice 118 may also include dedicated buttons and a front-panel display.The front-panel display may, for example, be used to display the currentchannel to which the recording device is tuned.

In serve embodiments, recording device 118 may be a network recordingdevice that is located outside of user equipment 110. In someembodiments, the network recording device may be incorporated in mediasource 120 (e.g., at the head-end of a cable plant), data source 124,VOD server 140, user equipment 110 (e.g., as a second recording device,or a hard drive on a home computer), an Internet server (not shown), orany other suitable device. In some embodiments, the network recordingdevice may be a stand alone device (e.g., a commercial network recordingdevice, or a DVR device in a home or neighborhood network). The networkrecording device may receive instructions to perform recordings from theinteractive media guidance application implemented on any of a pluralityof instances of user equipment 110.

In some embodiments, the interactive media guidance application mayprovide features to the user with a client/server approach. There may beone server for each instance of user equipment 110, one for multipleinstances of user equipment 110, or a single server may serve as a proxyfor each instance of user equipment 110.

Any suitable number of users may have equipment, such as user equipment110, connected to media source 120, and data sources 124. A single usermay also have multiple instances of user equipment 110. But for theclarity of the figure, the equipment of only a single user is shown. Theequipment of the plurality of users may be connected to media source 120and data sources 124 using a cable television network, a satellitetelevision network, a local area network (LAN), a wireless network, theInternet (e.g., using a DOCSIS modem), or any other suitable means. Insome embodiments, the equipment of the plurality of users may beconnected to each other using any suitable means.

User equipment 110 may receive interactive media guidance applicationdata (e.g., data for storing the data structure of FIG. 3, discussedbelow) from one or more data sources 124. Data sources 124 may providedata associated with a particular type of video or for a particularapplication. Data that may be associated with videos may include, forexample, title, genre, actors, duration of the video, date of broadcast,or any other suitable type of data. One data source 124 may provide datafor non-on-demand media (e.g., non-pay and pay-per-view programs), andanother may provide data for on-demand media (e.g., VOD programs). Or,for example, a single data source may provide both of these types ofdata. For example, one data source 124 may provide data for aninteractive media guidance application. Another data source 124 may, forexample, provide data for another interactive application (e.g., a homeshopping application, and real-time data such as sports scores, stockquotes, news data and weather data). In some embodiments, data sources124 may provide data to the interactive media guidance application usinga client/server approach. There may be one server per data source, onefor all sources or, in some embodiments, a single server may communicateas a proxy between user equipment 110 and various data sources 124. Insuch embodiments, data source 124 may include control circuitry forexecuting the instructions of the interactive media guidanceapplication. The data provided by data source 124 may be periodicallydownloaded in part (e.g., updated) or in whole to memory 117 of controlcircuitry 116.

In some embodiments, interactive media system 100 may also include videoon demand (VOD) server 140. FIG. 1 shows media source 120, data sources124, and VOD server 140 as separate elements. In practice, theirfunctionality may be combined and provided from a single system at asingle facility, or multiple systems at multiple facilities. Forexample, a separate data source 124 may be associated with each of aplurality of television broadcasters and may provide data that isspecific to those broadcasters (e.g., advertisements for futureprogramming of the broadcasters, or logo data for displayingbroadcasters' logos in interactive media guidance application displayscreens).

FIG. 2 shows illustrative network 200 for supplying videos via a mediasource in accordance with one embodiment of the invention. Although userequipment 110 can include any or the components shown in FIG. 1, onlydatabase 119 is shown in FIG. 2 to avoid overcomplicating the drawing.

Media source 202 may be the same as or similar to media source 120 ofFIG. 1. For example, media source 202 may include any video source suchas, for example, IPTV head end, websites (e.g., FTP websites), on-demandserver, online video rental stores, or any other suitable provider fororiginating or distributing videos. In the example given in FIG. 2,media source 202 may include the functionality of a data source (e.g.,data source 124 of FIG. 1) and may send videos and data associated withthe videos to user equipment 110 over network 210. Network 210 mayinclude any one-way or two-way network, including a cable network,fiber-optic network, satellite network, cellular data network, or theInternet.

Media source 202 may transmit videos and data (e.g., title, genre,actors, duration of the videos, and date of broadcast) over network 210using FTP upload module 204. Video data may be uploaded automatically toa database (e.g., database 119) stored on a recording device (e.g.,recording device 118 of FIG. 1). Database 119 may be indexed by anysuitable field, including media source information and video datafields. After database 119 has been populated, an interactive mediaguidance application may search for videos on media source 202 bygenerating database queries containing one or more data fields. Forexample, the interactive media guidance application may search for aparticular episode of a television show based on the show's title,season number, and episode number. Once a match has been found, theinteractive media guidance application may send a request to mediasource 202 to download the video.

Instead of searching database 119 for video data, in some embodiments,user equipment 110 automatically searches for videos on media source202. For example, the interactive media guidance application may send arequest for a video to media source 202 over network 210. The requestmay include data associated with the video. A web service or process mayexecute on media source 202 that automatically processes this request.After the request has been authenticated, the web service or process maysearch for the video. If a match is found, the web service or processmay use FTP upload module 204 to deliver the video directly to userequipment 110 (FIG. 1).

Although the above discussion uses FTP as a protocol for transferringdata, any other suitable transferring protocol may be used, such assecure FTP (SFTP), secure copy protocol (SCP), or secure shell (SSH).Other streaming and transport protocols may also be used, including RTPand MPEG-2 transport. In addition, any suitable transferring mechanismor mechanisms may be used to deliver data to user equipment 110. Forexample, user equipment 110 may use web crawling techniques to populatedatabase 119. As another example, data may be sent in serialized objectform or in a suitable mark-up language format (e.g., XML). For instance,FIG. 3 shoes an illustrative data structure that includes dataassociated with videos in accordance with one embodiment of theinvention. In one embodiment, this data structure may correspond to thestructure of the data provided by data source 124 (FIG. 1).

XML file 300 may include data associated with one or more videos. Insome embodiments, the interactive media guidance application may searchfor videos on various media sources (e.g., media source 120 of FIG. 1 ormedia source 202 of FIG. 2) by sending requests in a format similar toXML file 300. In some embodiments, the media sources may send data topopulate a database on user equipment 110 (e.g., database 119 of FIGS. 1and 2) in a format similar to XML file 300.

Although Extensible Markup Language (XML) is used in the example of XMLfile 300, any suitable mark-up language may be used, including, forexample, any subset of Standard Generalized Markup Language (SGML). Inaddition, although the example of XML file 300 uses ISO/IEC 8859encoding, any other suitable encoding (e.g., UTF-8, UTF-16, or UTF-32)may be used. Any suitable video metadata format may also be used, suchas the CableLabs Video-On-Demand Metadata standard.

XML file 300 includes title 302, which may include a unique media sourceidentifier. Body 304 of XML file 300 may include a number of tags thatdefine the data associated with the one or more videos. A “name” tag mayidentify the name or title of the video. A “subname” tag may identifythe subtitle (or episode Title) of the video. A “desc” tag may include atext summary or description of the video, an identification of the cast,director, and/or players (e.g., teams and/or athletes) in the video.

A series identifier tag (e.g., “series_id”) may uniquely identify aseries, if applicable. For example, as shown in FIG. 3, the currentvideo is the season finale of “The Sopranos.” This video may beassociated with a series identifier that uniquely identifies the series,“The Sopranos.” A video identifier tag (e.g., “video_id”) may also beincluded in XML file 300 to uniquely identify the video. The videoidentifier may be unique among a subset of videos or all videosavailable within media system 100 (FIG. 1). For example, if the video isa part of a series, the video identifier may uniquely identify theepisode within the series or, alternatively, uniquely identify theepisode among all available media content. As such, media source 202(FIG. 2) may be in communication with an identifier database thatuniquely allocates new video and series identifiers for new videos(e.g., a new movie or a new episode of a show). The identifier databasemay be maintained by the cable operator, MSO, or a third-party. Asdescribed in more detail below, the interactive media guidanceapplication may use the unique video and/or series identifiers to searchfor videos on multiple media sources. For example, the interactive mediaguidance application may use the unique identifiers to search for aparticular video to download from an Internet source. As anotherexample, the interactive media guidance application may use the uniqueidentifiers to determine when a particular video is scheduled to bere-broadcast in the broadcast video listings of a cable source.

“Season” and “episode” tags may identify the season and episode numbers,respectively. A “date” tag may identify the scheduled broadcast date ofthe video. “Start_time” and “run_time” tags may identify the scheduledstart time and the scheduled duration of the video, respectively. A“source” tag may identify the channel number, channel name, or source ofthe video (e.g., NBCHD, channel 5, or a website).

XML file 300 may also include a “price” tag. The price tag may identifythe estimated access price for the video. For example, accessing thevideo (e.g., via an on-demand server or an online video rental store)may be associated with an access charge or subscription fee. For videosbroadcast on a non-on-demand source (e.g., a regular cable or satellitetelevision channel that the user subscribes to), the price tag willgenerally indicate that the video is associated with a zero price (e.g.,access to the video is free). Some non-zero price may be included in theprice tag to indicate that a charge is associated with accessing thevideo.

Finally, XML file 300 may also include a number of advanced contentcontrol tags. These tags may specify what type of video access isgranted to the user equipment when the video is made available. Theseadvanced content control tags may be saved to the user equipment (e.g.,included in database 119 of FIGS. 1 and 2) and enforced when the videois being accessed by the user equipment. Some of these tags may be usedto control unauthorized copying, distribution, or retransmission of thevideo. The interactive media guidance application may enforce allconvent control tags on the user equipment. For example, an“allow_record” tag may indicate whether the video is permitted to besaved to the user equipment (e.g., to recording device 118 of FIG. 1).In some embodiments, the allow recordings tag may prohibit caching andbuffering of the video. For example, if the “allow_record” is set to“0”, the user equipment may not automatically buffer the output oftuners that are tuned to the video. This may help prevent unauthorizedrecording or saving of restricted videos to the user equipment. In someembodiments, the allow recordings tag may be associated with variousparameters. For example, the “allow_record” tag may be associated withan expiration date such that the video may automatically be deleted fromthe recording device once the expiration date has passed. As anotherexample, the “allow_record” tag may be associated with a parameter thatindicates whether the video has been viewed such that the video mayautomatically be deleted once the video has been viewed.

The “display_number” tag may indicate the number of times the user isauthorized to view the video. For example, this tag may indicate thenumber of times the user may request the video via an on-demand serviceor the number or times playback is permitted from a recording device(e.g., recording device 118 of FIG. 1). Other supported content controltags may include tags for limiting or prohibiting retransmission of thevideo, editing of the video, and/or sampling of the video (e.g., fordigital audio content). In some embodiments, the interactive mediaguidance application may interface with a digital rights management(DRM) application in order to request additional access permissions, asdesired by the user.

The interactive media guidance application on the user equipment merges(e.g., logically appends and/or concatenates) recordings of videosegments that are determined to be segments of the same program. Forexample, an interactive media guidance application attempts or initiatesa first recording of a video, recording a first segment of the videountil a recording interruption occurs. In response to the recordinginterruption, the interactive media guidance applications attempts orinitiates a second recording of the video, recording a second segment ofthe video, and merges the two segments of the video to form a singlerecording.

In some cases, the first and second recordings may have beennecessitated by a recording interruption. For example, a system failuremay occur, such as an interruption of a transmission of the video (e.g.,loss of streams in switched digital video (SDV) systems), a powerfailure, an equipment failure (e.g., recording medium failure), or anyother type of system failure. For instance, the interactive mediaguidance application initiates a first recording of a video and thefirst recording is ended prematurely due to a power failure. In responseto detecting the power failure, the interactive media guidanceapplication initiates a second recording of the video. As anotherexample, the user may interrupt a recording accidentally, such as bychanging the channel or turning off the system. In response to a usercommand (e.g., the user pressing a “record” button), the interactivemedia guidance application may initiate a second recording of the video.As yet another example, an emergency alert may interrupt a recording. Asa further example, the first segment of video may be corrupted.

In some embodiments, the first and second recordings may initially bedisplayed in a recorded video listing. For example, as shown in FIG. 4,display screen 400 includes recorded video listings 402, which displaysa listing of videos currently accessible on the user equipment (e.g., onrecording device 118 of FIG. 1 or media source 120 of FIG. 1 or mediasource 204 of FIG. 2). Each listing in recorded video listings 402 mayinclude various types of information. For example, title information 404may provide the title of the video, and duration information 406 mayprovide the total length of the video. The user may navigate thelistings in recorded video listings 402 by entering appropriate commandsusing a user input device (e.g., user input device 114 of FIG. 1). Forexample, if the user input device is a remote control, the user mayposition highlight region 408 by selecting “UP” and “DOWN” cursor keys.If the user repeatedly moves highlight region 408 until highlight region408 reaches the bottom of recorded video listings 402, further attemptsat downward movement will cause the listing to scroll in the verticaldirection.

In some embodiments, recorded video listings 401 may include videosobtained from multiple media sources. For example, recorded videolistings 402 may include videos from broadcast sources that are recordedon the user equipment. As another example, videos and associated contentcontrol tags may be downloaded to the user equipment from an Internetsource. The content control tags may be saved in a database (e.g.,database 119 of FIGS. 1 and 2) on the user equipment. Based on theassociated content control tags (e.g., “allow_record” tag or“display_number” tag of FIG. 3), the interactive media guidanceapplication may determine access restrictions associated with thevideos. For example, the interactive media guidance application maydetermine the expiration date for renting a video and display messagealert 410 which notifies the user of when the video will be deleted. Asshown in FIG. 4, message alert 410 indicates that “South Park” expiresin 10 days. Thus, the user has 10 days to watch the video, and after 10days, the interactive media guidance application will delete the videofrom the recording device. As another example, based on the“display_number” tag associated with the video, the interactive mediaguidance application may determine the number of times the video maystill be played back before it is no longer accessible. In variousembodiment of the present invention, when two segments are combined, oneof which has a lower display_number than the other, the video thatresults from combining the two segments is given the lowerdisplay_number of the two.

In addition, the interactive media guidance application may determineand display other alerts associated with copying, editing, distributing,or retransmitting. It will be understood that although recorded videolistings 402 include videos obtained from multiple media sources,recorded video listings 402 may also only include videos obtained from asingle source. As a result, videos obtained from different media sourcesmay be displayed in different video listings.

Display screen 400 may include summary window 412 for displaying summaryinformation about the video that is currently highlighted by highlightregion 408. For example, summary window 412 may include the video name(e.g., “The West Wing”), the season number (e.g., “Season 4”), theepisode number (e.g., “Episode 5”), and the video subname (“Game On”) ofthe video that is currently highlighted. Persons skilled in the art willappreciate that any suitable type of information about the video mayalternatively or additionally be displayed (e.g., a summary ordescription, rating, director, cast, and/or players).

Furthermore, display screen 400 may include indicators 414, which may bedisplayed next to listings of recordings that are determined to beincomplete and/or corrupted. For example, as shown in FIG. 4, indicators414 are displayed next to listings for the first and second recordedsegments of “The West Wing”.

In response to receiving a suitable input (e.g., detecting a recordinginterruption or receiving a suitable user input), the interactive mediaguidance application may merge the first and second segments of a videoto form a single recording. Any suitable approaches may be used todetect a recording interruption. For example, after making a recording(e.g., a second recording), the application may automatically search foranother recording that is from the same program (e.g., a firstrecording). As another example, a first recording with a length lessthan the total duration of the program (e.g., the total duration may beprovided by a program database such as database 119 of FIGS. 1 and 2)may be suspected of being an interrupted recording.

The interactive media guidance application may determine that the firstand second recordings are segments of the same program using anysuitable approach. For example, the interactive media guidanceapplication may match the first and second recordings by searching fordata associated with the first and second recordings (e.g., usingbroadcast video listings, data sources 124 of FIG. 1, database 119 ofFIG. 1, media source 120 of FIG. 1, media source 202 of FIG. 2, or anycombination thereof). Any suitable data may be used, including, forexample, the name, the subname, the description, the video identifier,the series identifier, duration of the video, and/or the broadcast timeof the video. As another example, the interactive media guidanceapplication may first narrow the search by determining which recordingswere made during the broadcast time of the video. After finding one ormore segments, the interactive media guidance application may find thematching segments by comparing the associated data.

As yet another example, if data cannot be located for the first orsecond segment, the interactive media guidance application may determinethat the segments are from the same program by searching for matchingmedia cues in the video signals. The interactive media guidanceapplication may, for example, use face recognition algorithms to searchfor people in the first and second segments that are the same. Inaddition, the interactive media guidance application may use voicerecognition algorithms to search for voices in the segments that are thesame. In order to produce a more reliable match, the interactive mediaguidance application may need to sample the video for a period of time(e.g., to reduce the likelihood that the videos being sampled includeadvertising content rather than video content). The interactive mediaguidance application may, for example, search for an image or voice inthe second segment that appears the most frequently (e.g., the maincharacter in a television show or a news anchor), and use that image orvoice to search the first segment. Using a frequently occurring image orvoice reduces the probability that the image or voice that is used tomatch video segments to each other is from a common commercial betweenthe two programs since the commercial image or voice is less likely tooccur frequently in a video segment that is substantially longer thanabout 30 seconds or a minute.

In some embodiments, the interactive media guidance application maydetermine that the first and second recordings are segments of the sameprogram by extracting a plurality of still frames from both recordings,isolating objects from the plurality of still frames, comparing a firstisolated object to the other isolated objects to determine a first matchcount for each of those objects that closely resemble the first isolatedobject, comparing each of the rest of the isolated objects to the otherobjects to determine a match count for each, selecting a subset of theobjects from each recording, wherein the subset comprises N objects fromeach recording with the highest match counts, and determining theaverage match count between the N objects from the first recording andthe N objects from the second recording, wherein if the average matchcount exceeds a threshold, the two recordings are determined to besegments of the same program.

In some cases, the interactive media guidance application may moreefficiently search for the segments by starting the search with thelast-made recording as it is more likely to belong to the video. If amatch is not found, however, the interactive media guidance applicationmay continue the search with earlier recordings. In some cases, theinteractive media guidance application may also determine the broadcasttime (e.g., start time and end time) of the video. After determining thebroadcast time, the interactive media guidance application may searchfor segments that were recorded during that time period.

After the interactive media guidance application has determined that therecordings are segments of the same program, the application may mergethe first and second segments to form a single recording. The singlerecording may thus be formed from a portion of the first segment and aportion of the second segment. In addition to merging the first andsecond segments, the interactive media guidance application may delete alisting for the first and/or the second recording from a recorded videolisting (e.g., recorded video listings 402 of FIG. 4) so that only asingle listing for the combined video remains. Alternatively, in otherembodiments, listings for the first and/or second recordings may behidden and never displayed to the user in the first place.

In some embodiments, instead of attempting a second recording of thevideo, the interactive media guidance application may directly merge thefirst segment of video with video that is currently being received. Forexample, the interactive media guidance application may attempt todetect the presence of a first segment of video. After locating thefirst segment, the interactive media guidance application may form asingle recording by automatically recording the current video followingthe end of the first segment. As another example, following an eventthat may potentially interrupt a recording (e.g., a power failure or anemergency alert), the interactive media guidance application may check alog of recordings that were in progress within a given prior timeframeor search a local memory for segments of videos that may have beenpartially recorded.

After forming the single recording, a new recorded video listing may bedisplayed. FIGS. 5 and 6 show illustrative recorded video listingdisplay screens after a merged recording has been created in accordancewith one embodiment of the invention. As shown in FIG. 5, the first andsecond segments of “The West Wing” have been deleted from recorded videolistings 402.

Display screen 500 may include indicators 502, which may be displayedfor listings of merged recordings (e.g., recordings that are formed frommultiple segments). For example, as shown in FIG. 5, “The West Wing” and“The Office” are both merged recordings. In some embodiments, indicators502 may be displayed for an incomplete and/or corrupted recording. Theuser may thus be notified if a particular recording is incomplete.

If the user places highlight region 504 over such a merged recordinglisting, summary window 412 may additionally provide information aboutthe recording. For example, summary window 412 may include recordinglength description 506 (e.g., as shown in FIG. 5, 37 minutes of 60minutes of “The West Wing” have been recorded). Summary window 412 mayalso include recording indicator 508. Recording indicator 508 maydisplay the segments that have been recorded for a particular video. Forexample, as shown in FIG. 5, segments 510 indicate that the first 22minutes and the last 15 minutes of the video have been recorded. Segment512 indicates that twenty-three minutes are missing in the middle of therecording. In some embodiments, the length of the segments in recordingindicator 508 may be scaled such that the length corresponds to the timeduration of the segments. In some embodiments, when a recording isstitched together from multiple segments, a graphic, video and/or audioclip is inserted in the resulting video at one or more of the stitchpoints or at the beginning of the video to notify the user aboutpotential problems with the recording. These inband notifications canserve as alternative ways to inform or remind the user that some videomay be lost within the video and explain, for example, discontinuitiesthat the user may observe.

In response to the user selecting a recording (e.g., when a user selectsa “SELECT” or “OK” key on user input device 114 of FIG. 1 when aparticular listing is highlighted by highlight region 504), theinteractive media guidance application may display multiple optionsassociated with the selected recording. For example, as shown in FIG. 6,display screen 600 may provide overlay 602 that includes the multipleoptions. The multiple options may include any suitable type of optionssuch as, for example, options for playing a recording from the beginning(e.g., “playback” option 604), playing a recording from the last viewingposition (e.g., “playback” option 606), splitting a recording intoseparate recordings (e.g., “split” option 608), deleting a recording(e.g., “delete” option 610), and deleting a recording and re-recording(e.g., “delete and re-record” option 612).

If the user selects “playback” option 604, the interactive mediaguidance application may play the recording from the beginning of therecording. If the user selects “playback” option 606, the interactivemedia guidance application may play the recording from the point whenthe recording was last viewed. For example, if the user issues a stopcommand during the playback of a recording, the interactive mediaguidance application may keep track of the last viewing position (e.g.,by saving the number of minutes into the recording when playback ended).Therefore, when the user selects the option to play the recording againfrom the last viewing position, the interactive media guidanceapplication may search for and continue to play back the recording fromthat position.

“Split” option 608 may be an option available for segments that havebeen merged by the interactive media guidance application. For example,the user may select “split” option 608 if he or she is unsatisfied withthe merged recording (e.g., the interactive media guidance applicationmay have mistakenly merged two different videos). In response to theuser selecting “split” option 608, the interactive media guidanceapplication may split the merged recording into two recordings for theoriginally recorded segments. Alternatively, in response to the splitselection, the interactive media guidance application my search foranother, potentially more suitable segments to combine and even in somecases undo other merges to find a more optimal match. In the exampleshown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the interactive media guidance application maysplit the recording of “The West Wing” into a first recording of 22minutes and a second recording of 15 minutes.

In addition, overlay 602 may include “delete” option 610 for allowingusers to delete a recording. In some embodiments, in response to theuser selecting “delete” option 610, the interactive media guidanceapplication may display a prompt that confirms whether the user desiresto delete the recording. If the user confirms the deletion, theinteractive media guidance application may delete the recording from therecording device. Accordingly, the recording will be deleted from therecorded video listing (e.g., recorded video listings 402 of FIG. 5).

In some embodiments, in response to the user selecting “delete” option610, the interactive media guidance application may provide additionaloptions for the user to delete particular segments of the recording. Thesegments of the recording may correspond to the multiple segments thatwere merged to form the single recording. In the example given, theinteractive media guidance application may provide options for the userto delete a first recording segment of 22 minutes, second recordingsegment of 15 minutes, or any combination thereof.

In some embodiments, overlay 602 may include “delete and re-record”option 612 for allowing users to delete a recording and re-record ordownload a new video that is associated with the recording. “Delete andre-record” options will be discussed in more detail in connection withFIG. 8.

In response to the user selecting to play back a merged recording (e.g.,selecting either “playback” options 604 or 606), the interactive mediaguidance application may alert the user to the input that triggered themerge. For example, the input may have been a recording interruption(e.g., a system failure, an emergency alert during the first recordingsa corrupted first segment of video, etc.). As another example, the inputmay have been a user input (see FIGS. 15 and 16).

FIG. 7 shows an illustrative display screen with an alert prompt overlaythat is displayed in response to receiving a playback command for amerged recording is accordance with one embodiment of the invention.Display screen 700 may include any suitable background 702. For example,display screen 700 may have a background similar to display screen 500(FIG. 5). As another example, display screen 700 may have paused videoas the background. The paused video may be a frame of the recording thatthe user has selected to play back (e.g., the first frame or the frameat the current viewing position).

Prompt overlay 704 may provide information about the input thattriggered merging of the multiple segments (e.g., a recordinginterruption or a user input). For example, prompt overlay 704 mayprovide the user with the specific type of recording interruption (e.g.,an emergency alert during the first recording, a corrupted first segmentof video, an inadvertent recording interruption caused by a user, or asystem failure). As another example, the duration of certain types ofrecording interruptions (e.g., the duration of a system failure) may beprovided.

Prompt overly 704 may also include information about the content of therecording. For example, prompt overlay 704 may notify the user thatthere is a potential for missing video content (e.g., portion of thevideo that excludes advertising content) in the recording. As anotherexample, the interactive media guidance application may determine theamount of video content that was not recorded.

The interactive media guidance application may determine the amount ofvideo content that was not recorded using any suitable approach. Forexample, the interactive media guidance application may approximate thisamount by comparing the duration of the recording with the totalduration of the video in its originally distributed form. As anotherexample, the interactive media guidance application may approximate thisamount based on a typical television broadcast (e.g., fixed durations ofvideo content interspersed with fixed durations of advertising contentfor a typical 30 or 60-minute program). As yet another example, theinteractive media guidance application may compare the recording with abroadcast schedule provided by a data source (e.g., data source 124 ofFIG. 1). For instance, the broadcast schedule may specify the starttimes, the frequency, and the duration of the advertising content. As afurther example, the application may refer to interrupt service routinetimestamps from a local battery backed time reference to see whenrecording was interrupted and when it was resumed. In some embodiments,the video is digital and carries an appropriate time reference withinthe video stream, such as a program clock reference or frame count, thatcan be used to determine the length of video missing from a multiplepart recording.

In the example shown in FIG. 7, the interactive media guidanceapplication approximates that 50% of the video content was not recorded.Is will be understood that the amount of video content that was notrecorded may be provided using any suitable format, such as, forexample, based on the somber of minutes (e.g., 20 minutes of 60 totalminutes), on a fixed scale (5 out of 10), etc.

Prompt overlay 704 may also include multiple options (e.g., “play”option 706, “delete” option 708, “delete and re-record” option 710, and“cancel” option 712) to the user. In response to the user selecting“play” option 706, the interactive media guidance application may beginto play the video (e.g., the interactive media guidance application mayplay the video from the beginning if “play” option 604 of FIG. 6 wasselected or from the last viewing position if “play” option 606 of FIG.6 was selected). In response to the user selecting “cancel” option 712,the interactive media guidance application may remove prompt overlay 704and go back to a different display screen (e.g., a recorded videolistings such as recorded video listings 402 of FIG. 5, live televisionbroadcast, or broadcast video listings).

In some embodiments, if the interactive media guidance applicationdetermines that an insufficient amount of the video content wasrecorded, the application may provide “delete” option 708 and/or “deleteand re-record” option 710. The interactive media guidance applicationmay use any suitable parameter for determining whether the recording hasinsufficient video content. For example, the interactive media guidanceapplication may determine the parameter based on past user behavior. Forinstance, if the user has generally selected to delete a recording ifless than 60% of the video was available, then the interactive mediaguidance application may set the parameter at 60%. As a result, the nexttime that a recording containing less than 60% of the video content isselected to be played back, the interactive media guidance applicationmay automatically provide “delete” option 708 and/or “delete andre-record” option 710 to the user. As another example, the user mayspecify the parameter by defining a percentage of video content belowwhich the recording should be deleted and re-recorded. The user mayspecify the duration by selecting, for example, “edit merge settings”option 714, “Edit merge settings” option 714 will be described in moredetail in connection with FIG. 13.

In response to the user selecting “delete” option 708, the interactivemedia guidance application may delete the recording from the recordingdevice. In some embodiments, the interactive media guidance applicationmay display a confirmation prompt prior to deleting the recording. Insome embodiments, where a log of what videos have been recorded is kept(e.g., for profile related service reasons), if a partially recordedvideo is deleted from the system, the log of it having been recorded maybe removed as well.

In response to the user selecting “delete and re-record” option 710, theinteractive media guidance application may provide the user with choicesfor recording the video again. For example, FIG. 3 shows an illustrativedisplay screen with a recording choices overlay that is displayed inresponse to receiving a re-record command. Display screen 800 mayinclude recording choices overlay 802 that includes multiple recordingchoices (e.g., choices 804, 806, and 808) for recording the video again.Recording choices overlay 802 may also be displayed in response to theuser selecting “delete and re-record” option 612 (FIG. 6). By providingthe re-recording choices, the user may easily record the video againwithout having to conduct a manual search for a future airing of thevideo.

Videos provided by the recording choices may be obtained from anysuitable source that is available to the user (e.g., a broadcast source,an internet source, a pay-per-view source, etc.). For example, theinteractive media guidance application may search the broadcast videolistings for future broadcasts of the video. The interactive mediaguidance application may compare data associated with the futurebroadcasts with data associated with the video. Any suitable data may beused such as, for example, the name, the subname, the description, thevideo identifier, and the series identifier. The interactive mediaguidance application may also search a database (e.g., database 119 ofFIGS. 1 and 2) to find database entries from various media sources(e.g., media scarce 120 of FIG. 1 and media source 202 of FIG. 2) thatmatch the video data. Database queries may include any suitable datafields (e.g., the name, the subname, the description, the videoidentifier, and the series identifier). In addition, the interactivemedia guidance application may directly search for the video on themedia sources. The interactive media guidance application may send arequest to the media source (e.g., the request may be in a formatsimilar to XML 300 of FIG. 3) that may include data associated with thevideo.

The recording choices that are provided on recording choices overlay 802may satisfy one or more attributes. The attributes may include, forexample, high-definition (HD) attributes, advertising attributes, accessattributes, price attributes, and time to obtain attributes. The usermay select and rack the attributes by selecting, for example, “editmerge settings” option 810.

The recording choices provided on recording choices overlay 802 may alsobe sorted using any suitable approach. In some embodiments, therecording choices may be sorted based on the ranked attributes. Forexample, the user may rank videos from cable channels higher than videosfrom pay-per-view channels. Thus, a recording choice that is provided bya cable channel will be displayed before a recording choice that isprovided by a pay-per view channel. In ether embodiments, theinteractive media guidance application may sort the recording choicesbased on various limitations in the system. For example, the interactivemedia guidance application may detect another video that is scheduled tobe recorded at the same time as one of the recording choices. As aresult, the recording choice may be placed lower on the list ofrecording choices. As another example, the interactive media guidanceapplication may detect that the bandwidth of the network is unsuitablefor downloading the video from an Internet source. As a result,recording choices from Internet sources may be placed lower on the listof recording choices. As yet another example, the interactive mediaguidance-application may detect that there is limited space available onthe recording device. As a result, videos that occupy less space may beplaced higher on the list of recording choices (e.g., the interactivemedia guidance application may select standard resolution videos ratherthan HD videos). Persons skilled in the art will appreciate that anycombination of these approaches may be used to determine recordingchoices.

As shown in FIG. 8, choices 804 and 806 are future broadcasts of thevideo (e.g., choice 804 indicates that “The West Wing—Game On” is beingre-broadcast Monday at 8 pm on NBCHD, and choice 806 indicates that thevideo is being re-broadcast Friday at 5 pm on TBS). In response to theuser selecting choice 804 or choice 806, the interactive media guidanceapplication may display a confirmation prompt overlay.

FIG. 9 shows an illustrative display screen with a confirmation promptoverlay that is displayed in response to receiving a scheduling commandin accordance with one embodiment of the invention. Display screen 900may include confirmation prompt overlay 902, which may indicate that thevideo has been scheduled for re-recording. If the user is satisfied withthe selection, the user may select “OK” option 904 to confirm thescheduling. However, if the user no longer wants no re-record the video,the user may select “cancel recording” option 906 to cancel thescheduled recording. The interactive media guidance application mayalert the user to scheduling conflicts, and allow the user to chooseeither to continue with the scheduling or select another recordingchoice.

Referring back to FIG. 8, the user may select choice 808 to download thevideo from a website. In response to the user selecting choice 808, theinteractive media guidance application may display a price promptoverlay if accessing the video requires a fee. For example, FIG. 10shows an illustrative display screen with a price prompt overlay that isdisplayed in response to receiving a download command for a video inaccordance with one embodiment of the invention. Display screen 1000 mayinclude price prompt overlay 1002, which provides the user with the costfor accessing the video. For example, as shown in FIG. 10, the user maydownload “The West Wing—Game On” from an Internet website for $2.99. Ifthe user decides not to download the video, the user may select “CANCEL”option 1004 to cancel the download. The interactive media guidanceapplication may then go back to providing the recording choices ondisplay screen 800 (FIG. 8).

In response to the user selecting “OK” option 1006, the interactivemedia guidance application may send an instruction (e.g., to the mediasource) to charge $2.99 to the user's account. The interactive mediaguidance application may then begin to download the video. For example,the interactive media guidance application may send a request for thevideo to the media source. After the request has been authenticated bythe media source, a FTP upload module on the media source (e.g., FTPupload module 204 of FIG. 2) may deliver the video directly to the userequipment (e.g., user equipment 110 of FIG. 1). In some embodiments, thevideo may be saved on the recording device (e.g., recording device 118of FIG. 1).

FIG. 11 shows an illustrative display screen with a downloading promptoverlay that is displayed while downloading a video in accordance withone embodiment of the invention. Display screen 1100 may includedownloading prompt overlay 1102 for providing the status of thedownload. As shown in FIG. 11, message 1104 indicates that the estimatedtime left for the download to complete is 2 minutes. The interactivemedia guidance application may also display status bar 1106, whichprovides a visual indication of the current download status. Downloadingprompt overlay 1102 may also include “HIDE” option 1108. In response tothe user selecting “HIDE” option 1108, the interactive media guidanceapplication may hide downloading prompt overlay 1102, and the downloadmay continue in the background. Thus, the user may perform other taskson the user equipment (e.g., watch other videos or live television)without being required to wait for the video to download.

Downloading prompt overlay 1102 may further include “CANCEL DOWNLOAD”option 1110. In response to the user selecting “CANCEL DOWNLOAD” option1110, the interactive media guidance application may stop the download,and, in some embodiments, delete the portion of the video that hasalready been downloaded to the recording device.

FIG. 12 shows an illustrative display screen with a confirmation promptoverlay that is displayed when a video has finished downloading inaccordance with one embodiment of the invention. Once the video hasfinished downloading, the interactive media guidance application maydisplay confirmation prompt overlay 1202. In response to the userselecting “PLAY” option 1204, the interactive media guidance applicationmay begin playing the downloaded video. In response to the userselecting “CANCEL” option 1206, the interactive media guidanceapplication may remove confirmation prompt overlay 1202 and allow theuser to watch the downloaded video at a later time.

In some embodiments, if the downloading prompt overlay 1102 had beenhidden, the interactive media guidance may display a pop-up alerting theuser that the download has completed. For example, in order to avoidinterrupting the user's viewing experience, the interactive mediaguidance application may display a small message alert on the peripheryor the display screen. The user may then select an option (e.g.,selecting a “SELECT” cursor key on the remote control) to access thedownloaded video. If, however, the user does not select the option aftera period of time, the message alert map automatically disappear. Theuser may then select to watch the downloaded video later by accessing arecorded video listings (e.g., recorded video listings 402 of FIG. 5).In some embodiments, instead of downloading the video, the video mayalso be streamed directly from the media source. In other embodiments,if content control tags allows the video to be buffered, the video maybe streamed at least partially into a buffer first before being madeavailable to the user. It will be understood that, in some embodiments,in response to a user selecting a choice (e.g., choice 808 of FIG. 8) toobtain a video from an on-demand source, the interactive media guidanceapplication may set a bookmark reference to the content in a recordingslist.

Referring back to FIGS. 7 and 8, in response to the user selectingeither “edit merge settings” option 714 or “edit merge settings” option810, the interactive media guidance application may allow the user toset up options associated with merging and re-recording videos.

FIG. 13 shows an illustrative merging and re-recording video setupdisplay screen in accordance with one embodiment of the invention.Display screen 1300 may include “delete” options 1302 and 1304. “Delete”option 1302 may allow the user to specify whether to auto-delete arecording if the video content of the recording is insufficient. Forexample, if “delete” option 1302 is set to “YES”, the interactive mediaguidance will automatically delete the recording if the video content isdetermined to be insufficient. In addition to deleting the recording,choices for recording the video again may also be provided. If, however,“delete” option 1302 is set to “NO”, then a “delete” and/or a “deleteand re-record” option may be provided for the user (e.g., “delete”option 708 and “delete and re-record” option 710 of FIG. 7).

“Delete” option 1304 may allow the user to define a parameter belowwhich the amount of video content recorded is considered to beinsufficient. In the example shown in FIG. 13, this parameter is set to60%. Thus, if the recorded video content is below 60% and “delete”option 1302 is set to “YES”, the video will be automatically deleted.

“Auto-merge” option 1306 may allow the user to specify whether toautomatically merge segments of the same program to form a singlerecording. As shown in FIG. 13, “auto-merge” option 1306 is set to“YES.” Thus, the interactive media guidance application mayautomatically merge separately recorded segments of the same programtogether to form a single recording (e.g., as shown in FIG. 5). In someembodiments, the interactive media guidance application may attempt todetect the presence of a previously recorded segment of video. Afterlocating the segment, the interactive media guidance application mayautomatically record the video following the end of the segment to forma single recording.

If “auto-merge” option 1306 is set to “NO”, the interactive mediaguidance application may record a second segment of the video after arecording interruption (e.g., a system failure). The interactive mediaguidance application may then prompt the user regarding whether to mergesegments of the video to form a single recording. This process will bedescribed in more detail in connection with FIG. 15.

“Prompt recording interruption” 1308 may allow the user to specifywhether to display an alert for recording interruptions. For example,the user may set “prompt recording interruption” 1308 to “NO” if theuser prefers not to be alerted to recording interruptions. Thus, if“prompt recording interruption” 1308 is set to “NO,” the interactivemedia guidance application will not alert the user to the recordinginterruption.

In some embodiments the user may select “MORE” option 1310 to view moremerging and re-recording video-setup options. For example, FIG. 14 showsanother illustrative merging and re-recording video setup display screenin accordance with one embodiment of the invention. As shown in FIG. 14,option 1402 may allow the user to select and rank attributes forobtaining videos of a recording. Based on the ranked attributes, theinteractive media guidance application may provide appropriate recordingchoices to the user.

The user may select arrow 1408 to move a listing highlighted byhighlight region 1410 from “NO” list 1404 to “YES” list 1406. The usermay also select arrow 1412 to move a listing highlighted by highlightregion 1414 from “YES” list 1406 to “NO” list 1404. In addition, theuser may rank the attributes by moving one or more listings in “YES”list 1406. For example, the user may move a highlighted listing up byselecting arrow 1416. As another example, the user may move ahighlighted listing down by selecting arrow 1418. As shown in FIG. 14,the user has selected “low price”, “no ad content”, and“high-definition” as attributes to use for obtaining new recordings. Theuser has not selected “short time to obtain a recording” or “fullaccess” as attributes. Thus, the interactive media guidance applicationmay provide recording choices with attributes that match at least one of“low price”, “no ad content”, or “high-definition”.

In some cases, the interactive media guidance application may not find arecording choice that satisfies all of the attributes. Thus, theinteractive media guidance application may rank the recording choicesbased on the number and the extent of attributes that are satisfied. Forexample, the interactive media guidance application may suggest a freeor relatively low priced recording choice even if the recording choiceis not HD. As another example, the interactive media guidanceapplication may rank a recording choice that includes movie previewshigher than a recording choice that includes advertising content.Persons skilled in the art will appreciate that any suitable parametermay be used to rank the recording choices. Persons skilled in the artwill also appreciate that the interactive media guidance application mayuse any suitable algorithm for determining the rankings of the recordingchoices.

The interactive media guidance application may initially provide a fixednumber of recording choices to the user. For example, as shown in FIG.14, maximum number of choices 1420 is currently set to “3”. Thus, theinteractive media guidance application may provide three recordingchoices on a recording choices overlay (e.g., choices 804, 806, and 808on recording choices overlay 802 of FIG. 8). The user may increase ordecrease the maximum number of recording choices 1420 by selecting “UP”and “DOWN” cursor keys on a user input device (e.g., user input device114 of FIG. 1). In some embodiments, if the recording choices that areavailable exceed the maximum number, the user may request to view thoserecording choices (e.g., by selecting “more” option 812 of FIG. 8).

Referring back to FIG. 13, in response to the user setting “auto-merge”option 1306 to “NO”, the interactive media guidance application may notautomatically merge segments of the same program to form a singlerecording. Instead, the interactive media guidance application mayprompt the user regarding whether to merge the segments. The interactivemedia guidance application may then merge the segments in response to auser input.

FIG. 15 shows an illustrative recorded video listing display screen witha prompt overlay for merging segments of video in accordance with oneembodiment of the invention. Display screen 1500 may include promptoverlay 1502 for notifying the user that segments of the same programare detected. Prompt overlay 1502 may include “YES” option 1504 and “NO”option 1506. In response to the user selecting “YES” option 1504, theinteractive media guidance application may merge the segments of thevideo to form a single recording. After merging the segments of thevideo, the interactive media guidance application may display a displayscreen similar to display screen 500 of FIG. 5. In some embodiments, inaddition to detecting segments of the last video recorded, theinteractive media guidance application may also detect multiple segmentsof all videos currently stored on the recording device (e.g., recordingdevice 118 of FIG. 1). Thus, in response to the user selecting to mergethe segments, the interactive media guidance application may merge themultiple segments of each video.

It the user selects “NO” option 1506, the interactive media guidanceapplication may remove prompt overlay 1502, and provide the recordedvideo listings to the user without any changes. If the user then selectsan incomplete and/or corrupted recording in the recorded video listing,the interactive media guidance application may display multiple optionsassociated with the recording. For example, FIG. 16 shows anillustrative recorded video listing display screen in response toreceiving a selection of a recording in accordance with one embodimentor the invention.

Display screen 1600 may include overlay 1602 for providing multipleoptions to the user. The multiple options may include any suitable typeof options such as, for example, options for playing a recording fromthe beginning (e.g., “playback” option 1604), playing a recording fromthe last viewing position (e.g., “playback” option 1606), mergingseparate recordings and playing the recording (e.g., “merge andplayback” option 1608), playing recordings without merging (e.g.,“playback without merging” option 1610), creating a playlist fromrelated segments (e.g., “playlist” option 1612), deleting a recording(e.g., “delete” option 1614), and deleting a recording and re-recording(e.g., “delete and re-record” option 1616). It will be understood that“playback” options 1604 and 1606, “delete” option 1614, and “delete andre-record” option 1616 may be the same as or similar to “playback”options 604 and 606, “delete” option 610, and “delete and re-record”option 612 of FIG. 6, respectively.

In response to the user selecting “merge and playback” option 1608, theinteractive media guidance application may merge segments of the video.After merging the segments into a single recording, the interactivemedia guidance application may play back the recording.

In response to the user selecting “playback without merging” option1610, the interactive media guidance application may initiate theplayback of the selected recording. After the selected recording hasfinished playing, the application may locate the second recording andimmediately begin to play back the second recording. This process maycontinue until all recordings from the same program have been playedback. As a result, the user may still watch the separately recordedsegments from the same program without merging the segments or having toplay each segment individually. Persons skilled in the art willappreciate that in response to the user selecting any of the playbackoptions (options 1604, 1606, 1608, and 1610), the interactive mediaguidance application may provide prompt overlay 704 (FIG. 7) to theuser.

In response to the user selecting “playlist” option 1612, theinteractive media guidance application may create a playlist thatincludes segments of video that are determined to be related. In someembodiments, after creating the playlist, the interactive media guidanceapplication may provide an option for sequentially playing back thesegments in the playlist.

FIG. 17 shows a flowchart of an illustrative process for mergingsegments of the same program in accordance with one embodiment of theinvention. Process 1700 starts at step 1702.

At step 1704, the interactive media guidance application may receivevideo. At step 1706, the interactive media guidance application mayattempt a first recording of the video so that a first segment of thevideo is recorded. For example, the user may have previously scheduledthe video for recording by selecting to record the videos in a broadcastvideo listing. As another example, the user may have selected to recordthe video while watching the video. After attempting the firstrecording, process 1700 moves to step 1708.

At step 1708, the interactive media guidance application may determinewhether a recording interruption has been detected. Any suitable type ofrecording interruptions may be detected, such as, for example, a systemfailure (e.g., interruption of a transmission of the video, an equipmentfailure, or a power failure), an emergency alert that occurs during therecording, a corrupted first segment of video, or an inadvertentrecording interruption caused by a user. If, at step 1708, theinteractive media guidance application determines that a recordinginterruption has not been detected, process 1700 moves to step 1710.

At step 1710, the interactive media guidance application may determinewhether it has finished recording the video. If, at step 1710, theinteractive media guidance application determines that it has notfinished recording the video, process 1700 moves to step 1712.

At step 1712, the interactive media guidance application may continue torecord the video, and, at step 1708, the application may continue todetect recording interruptions.

If, at step 1708, the interactive media guidance application insteaddetermines that a recording interruption has been detected, process 1700moves to step 1714. At step 1714, the interactive media guidanceapplication sets “INTERRUPTED” flag to TRUE and then may resumereceiving video, potentially after a delay due to the interruption.Process 1700 then moves to step 1716.

At step 1716, the interactive media guidance application may re-attempta recording or the video This may result in a second segment of thevideo being recorded. Step 1716 may be initiated if any recording hasbeen scheduled for that specific time (regardless of whether therecording is the same program as the program in the first segment).Alternatively, step 1716 may be initiated as a result of sensing theINTERRUPTED flag is set to TRUE. Process 1700 then moves to step 1710.

At step 1710, the application may determine if it has finished recordingthe video. If, at step 1710, the interactive media guidance applicationdetermines that it has not finished recording the video, process 1700moves to step 1712, discussed previously.

If, at step 1710, the interactive media guidance application insteaddetermines that it has finished recording the video, process 1700 movesto step 1718. At step 1718, the interactive media guidance applicationmay determine whether it should attempt to merge segments into a singlerecording. For example, the interactive media guidance application maycheck the state of the INTERRUPTED flag. As another example, theinteractive media guidance application may determine if a user inputdirecting the application to merge multiple video segments has beenreceived. If, at step 1718, the interactive media guidance applicationdetermines that there is no reason to attempt to merge video segments,process 1700 ends at step 1720.

If, at step 1718, the interactive media guidance application insteaddetermines that there is a reason to attempt to merge video segments,process 1700 moves to step 1722. For example, the application may havedetected a recording interruption at step 1706. As another example, theuser may have selected “YES” option 1504 of FIG. 15 or “merge andplayback” option 1608 of FIG. 16.

At step 1722, the interactive media guidance application may determinewhether separate segments of video have been recorded. For example, theinteractive media guidance application may compare data associated withthe segments (e.g., the name, the subname, the description, the videoidentifier, the series identifier, and/or the broadcast time of thevideos) to determine if the segments are incomplete or fragments. Asanother example, the interactive media guidance application may comparemedia cues in the segments. If, at step 1722, the interactive mediaguidance application determines that separate segments have not beenrecorded, process 1700 ends at step 1720. For example, the video mayhave already finished broadcasting by the time that the recordinginterruption ended, and a second segment of video was not recorded.

If, at step 1722, the interactive media guidance application insteaddetermines that separate segments have been recorded, process 1700 movesto step 1724. At step 1724, the interactive media guidance applicationmay determine whether the recordings are segments of the same program.If, at step 1724, the interactive media guidance application determinesthat the recordings are not segments of the same program, process 1700ends at step 1720.

If, at step 1724, the interactive media guidance application insteaddetermines that the recordings are segments of the same program, process1700 moves to step 1726. At step 1726, the interactive media guidanceapplication may merge the segments to form a single recording. Forexample, the interactive media guidance may logically append thesegments by determining when each segment was recorded, and appendingthe segments in the proper chronological order.

After merging the first and second segments, process 1700 ends at step1720. Although process 1700 has been described in terms of two recordedsegments of video, this process may be generalized to include anysuitable number of segments.

FIG. 18 shows a flowchart of an illustrative process for automaticallyrecording video after a previously recorded segment of the video inaccordance with one embodiment of the invention. Process 1800 starts atstep 1802.

At step 1804, the interactive media guidance application may receivevideo from a media source. For example, the interactive media guidanceapplication may receive video from a cable source.

At step 1806, the interactive media guidance application may attempt arecording of the video so that a segment of the video is recorded. Afterinitiating the recording, process 1800 moves to step 1808.

At step 1808, the interactive media guidance application may determineif a recording interruption has been detected. If, at step 1808, theinteractive media guidance application determines that a recordinginterruption has not been detected, process 1800 moves to step 1810.

At step 1810, the interactive media guidance application may determinewhether it has finished recording the video. If, at step 1810, theinteractive media guidance application determines that it has finishedrecording the video, process 1800 ends at step 1812. If, at step 1810,the interactive media guidance application instead determines that ithas not finished recording the video, process 1800 moves to step 1814.

At step 1814, the interactive media guidance application may continue torecord the video, and, at step 1808, the application may continue todetect recording interruptions.

If, at step 1808, the interactive media guidance application insteaddetermines that a recording interruption has been detected, process 1800moves to step 1816. At step 1816, the interactive media guidanceapplication may note the interruption by setting an INTERRUPTED flag toTRUE and resume the reception of video. Process 1800 then moves to step1818.

At step 1818, the interactive media guidance application may detect apreviously recorded segment or the video. Step 1818 may be initiated ifany recording has been scheduled for that specific time (regardless ofwhether the recording is the same program as the video in the previouslyrecorded segment). The interactive media guidance application may detectthe previously recorded segment by, for example, comparing dataassociated with the video and the recorded segment (e.g., the name, thesubname, the description, the video identifier, the series identifier,and/or the broadcast time of the videos). As another example, theinteractive media guidance application may compare media cues in thevideo and the recorded segment. If, at step 1818, the interactive mediaguidance application has not detected a previously recorded segment ofthe video, process 1800 moves to step 1820. For example, the video mayhave already finished broadcasting by the time that the recordinginterruption ended.

At step 1820, the interactive media guidance application may attempt arecording of the video so that a different segment of the video isrecorded. After attempting the recording, process 1800 moves to step1810, discussed previously.

Referring back to step 1818, if the interactive media guidanceapplication instead detects a previously recorded segment of the video,process 1800 moves to step 1822. At step 1822, the interactive mediaguidance application may record the video following the end of thepreviously recorded segment to form a single recording. Process 1800then moves to step 1810, discussed previously.

FIGS. 19A-19B show flowcharts of an illustrative process for alertingusers to an input that triggered merging of video segments in accordancewith one embodiment of the invention. Process 1900 starts at step 1902.At step 1904, the interactive media guidance application may alert theuser to the input that triggered the merge (e.g., a recordinginterruption or a user input). For example, the interactive mediaguidance application may display prompt overlay 704 (FIG. 7), which mayinclude information associated with a recording interruption or a userinput. Process 1900 then moves to step 1906.

At step 1906, the interactive media guidance application may determinewhether the recording has insufficient video content. For example, theinteractive media guidance application may determine the amount of videocontent (e.g., portion of the video that excludes advertising content)that was not recorded. The interactive media guidance application maydetermine this amount by comparing the duration of the recording to thetotal duration of the video in its originally distributed form (e.g.,based on metadata associated with the video), comparing the recording toa typical television broadcast, comparing the recording to a broadcastschedule provided by the media source, determining discontinuities in aprogram clock reference or frame or packet count in digital video, orany combination thereof. Once the amount of video content that has beenrecorded has been determined, the interactive media guidance applicationmay determine whether the video content is sufficient based on one ormore parameters. The parameters may be determined based on past userbehavior, defined by the user, or any combination thereof. For example,the user may define the parameter by specifying a percentage of videocontent below which the recording should be deleted and re-recorded(e.g., the user may specify a percentage by selecting “delete” option1404 of FIG. 14).

If, at step 1906, the interactive media guidance application determinesthat the recording has sufficient video content, process 1900 ends atstep 1908. If, at step 1906, the interactive media guidance applicationinstead determines that the recording has insufficient video content,process 1900 moves to step 1910.

At step 1910, the interactive media guidance application may prompt theuser to delete the recording. For example, the interactive mediaguidance application may display “delete” option 708 (FIG. 7) and/or“delete and re-record” option 710 (FIG. 7). Process 1900 then moves tostep 1912.

At step 1912, the interactive media guidance application may determinewhether a user request to delete the recording has been received. Forexample, the user may nave selected either “delete” option 708 or“delete and re-record” option 710 to delete the recording. If, at step1912, the interactive media guidance application determines that a userrequest to delete the recording has not been received, process 1900moves to step 1914.

At step 1914, the interactive media guidance application may determinewhether a user request to play the recording has been received. If, atstep 1914, the interactive media guidance application determines that auser request to play the recording has been received, process 1900 movesto step 1916. For example, the user may have requested to play back therecording (e.g., “play” option 706 of FIG. 7).

At step 1916, the interactive media guidance application may play backthe recording. Process 1900 then ends at step 1908.

If, at step 1914, the interactive media guidance application insteaddetermines that a user request to play the recording has not beenreceived, process 1900 ends at step 1908. For example, the user may haverequested to cancel the selection of the recording (e.g., “cancel”option 712 of FIG. 7).

Referring back to step 1912, if the interactive media guidanceapplication instead determines that a user request to delete therecording has been received, process 1900 moves to step 1918. At step1918, the interactive media guidance application may delete therecording. For example, interactive media guidance application mayremove the recording from the recording device (e.g., recording device118 of FIG. 1). Process 1900 then moves to step 1920.

At step 1920, the interactive media guidance application may determinewhether a user request to re-record the video has been received. If, atstep 1920, the interactive media guidance application determines that auser request to re-record the video has not been received, process 1900ends at step 1908. For example, the user many have selected “delete”option 708 of FIG. 7.

If, at step 1920, the interactive media guidance application insteaddetermines that a user request to re-record the video has been received,process 1900 moves to step 1922. For example, the user may have selected“delete and re-record” option 710.

At step 1922, the interactive media guidance application may provide oneor more choices for recording the video again. For example, theinteractive media guidance application may provide a recording choicesoverlay (e.g., recording choices overlay 802 of FIG. 8) that includesmultiple recording choices (e.g., choices 804, 806, and 808 of FIG. 8)for recording the video again. After providing the one or more recordingchoices, process 1900 moves to step 1924 of FIG. 19B.

At step 1924, the interactive media guidance application may determinewhether the user has selected to view more recording choices. If, atstep 1924, the interactive media guidance application determines thatthe user has not selected to view more recording choices, process 1900moves to step 1926.

If, at step 1924, the interactive media guidance application insteaddetermines that the user has selected to view more recording choices,process 1900 moves to step 1928. For example, the user may have selected“more” option 812 of FIG. 87.

At step 1928, the interactive media guidance application may provide alist of additional recording choices to the user. After providing thosechoices, process 1900 moves to step 1926.

At step 1926, the interactive media guidance application may determinewhether the user has selected to cancel. If, at step 1926, theinteractive media guidance application determines that the user hasselected to cancel, process 900 ends at step 1908. For example, the usermay have selected “cancel” option 814 of FIG. 8.

If, at step 1926, the interactive media guidance application insteaddetermines that the user has not selected to cancel the interactivemedia guidance application, process 1900 moves to step 1930. At step1930, the interactive media guidance application may determine whetherthe user has selected to re-schedule the video for recording on anon-on-demand source (e.g., a regular cable or satellite televisionchannel). If, at step 1930, the interactive media guidance applicationdetermines that the user has selected to re-schedule the video on anon-on-demand source, process 1900 moves to step 1932. For example, theuser may have selected choices 804 or 806 (FIG. 8) to schedule the videofor re-recording.

At step 1932, the interactive media guidance application may schedulethe video for recording. In some embodiments, the interactive mediaguidance may display a confirmation prompt to indicate that the videohas been scheduled for recording (e.g., confirmation prompt overlay 902of FIG. 9). Process 1900 then ends at step 1908.

If, at step 1930, the interactive media guidance application insteaddetermines that the user has not selected to re-schedule the video on anon-on-demand source, process 1900 moves to step 1934. For example, theuser may have selected choice 808 (FIG. 8) to download the video from anInternet source.

At step 1934, the interactive media guidance application may determinewhether the video is free. If, at step 1934, the interactive mediaguidance application determines that the video is free, process 1900moves to step 1936.

At step 1936, the interactive media guidance application may begin toacquire the video. For example, the interactive media guidanceapplication may provide a downloading prompt overlay (e.g., downloadingor prompt overlay 1102 of FIG. 11), which may allow the user to view thecurrent status of the download. Once the download has completed, theinteractive media guidance application may display a confirmation promptoverlay (e.g., confirmation prompt overlay 1202 of FIG. 12) to notifythe user. Process 1900 then ends at step 1908.

If, at step 1934, the interactive media guidance application insteaddetermines that the video is not free, process 1900 moves to step 1938.

At step 1938, the interactive media guidance application may determinewhether the user has selected to pay for the video. For example, theinteractive media guidance application may provide a price promptoverlay (e.g., price prompt overlay 1002 of FIG. 10) which includes thecost for acquiring the video. If, at step 1938, the interactive mediaguidance application determines that the user has selected to pay forthe video, process 1900 moves to step 1936. For example, the user mayhave selected “OK” option 1006 (FIG. 9). The interactive media guidanceapplication may then begin to acquire the video.

If, at step 1932, the interactive media guidance application insteaddetermines that the user has not selected to pay for the video, process1900 ends at step 1908. For example, the user may have selected “CANCEL”option 1004 (FIG. 10). The interactive media guidance application maythen go back to displaying the recording choices (e.g., on recordingchoices overlay 802 of FIG. 8) or return to a different display screen.

The above described embodiments of the invention are presented forpurposes of illustration and not of limitation, and the presentinvention is limited only by the claims which follow.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method for displaying media asset listings at auser equipment, comprising: recording a segment of a first media asset;determining that the segment is an incomplete recording of the firstmedia asset; searching a database of media asset listings to identify afirst media asset listing corresponding to a first time that the firstmedia asset will be made available again in the future and a secondmedia asset listing corresponding to a second time that the first mediaasset will be made available again in the future; comparing the firsttime to a third time when a second media asset is scheduled to berecorded at the user equipment to determine whether the first timeoverlaps the third time; comparing the second time to the third time todetermine whether the second time overlaps the third time; in responseto determining that the first time overlaps the third time and thesecond time does not overlap the third time, automatically ranking thesecond media asset listing above the first media asset listing in alisting order; in response to determining that the second time overlapsthe third time and the first time does not overlap the third time,automatically ranking the first media asset listing above the secondmedia asset listing in the listing order; and generating a list fordisplaying the first media asset listing and the second media assetlisting in the listing order, wherein a future recording has not beenscheduled for an instance of the first media asset corresponding to thefirst media asset listing and the second media asset listing.
 2. Themethod of claim 1, wherein the determining that the segment is anincomplete recording of the first media asset is made upon detectingthat a system failure occurred.
 3. The method of claim 1, wherein thelisting order is further based on a source of the first media assetlisting and a source of the second media asset listing.
 4. The method ofclaim 1 further comprising: calculating an amount of the first mediaasset included in the segment; determining whether the calculated amountis lower than a threshold value; and automatically deleting the segmentfrom the user equipment upon determining that the calculated amount islower than the threshold value.
 5. The method of claim 1, wherein thesearching further comprises determining whether the database includesmedia asset listings with data corresponding to the data associated withthe recorded segment.
 6. The method of claim 1, wherein recording thesegment of the first media asset further comprises: recording a firstportion of the first media asset; determining that the first portion isan incomplete recording; recording a second portion of the first mediaasset upon determining that first portion is an incomplete recording ofthe first media asset; and merging the first and the second portions toform the segment.
 7. The method of claim 1, wherein determining that thesegment is an incomplete recording of the first media asset comprisescomparing a duration of the segment to the duration of the first mediaasset based on data associated with the first media asset.
 8. The methodof claim 6, wherein the first and second portions are recorded fromdifferent sources.
 9. The method of claim 6, wherein merging at leastthe first and second portions to form the segment comprisesconcatenating the second portion to an end of the first portion.
 10. Themethod of claim 6, wherein merging at least the first and secondportions to form the segment comprises deleting a listing for the firstor second portions from a recorded media asset listing.
 11. A system fordisplaying media asset listings at a user equipment, the systemcomprising control circuitry configured to: record a segment of a firstmedia asset; determine that the segment is an incomplete recording ofthe first media asset; search a database of media asset listings toidentify a first media asset listing corresponding to a first time thatthe first media asset will be made available again in the future and asecond media asset listing corresponding to a second time that the firstmedia asset will be made available again in the future; compare thefirst time to a third time when a second media asset is scheduled to berecorded at the user equipment to determine whether the first timeoverlaps the third time; compare the second time to the third time todetermine whether the second time overlaps the third time; in responseto determining that the first time overlaps the third time and thesecond time does not overlap the third time, automatically rank thesecond media asset listing above the first media asset listing in alisting order; in response to determining that the second time overlapsthe third time and the first time does not overlap the third time,automatically rank the first media asset listing above the second mediaasset listing in the listing order; and generate a list for displayingthe first media asset listing and the second media asset listing in thelisting order, wherein a future recording has not been scheduled for aninstance of the first media asset corresponding to the first media assetlisting and the second media asset listing.
 12. The system of claim 11,wherein the control circuitry configured to determine that the segmentis an incomplete recording of the first media asset is furtherconfigured to make the determination upon detecting that a systemfailure occurred.
 13. The system of claim 11, wherein the listing orderis further based on a source of the first media asset listing and asource of the second media asset listing.
 14. The system of claim 11,wherein the control circuitry is further configured to: calculate anamount of the first media asset included in the segment; determinewhether the calculated amount is lower than a threshold value; andautomatically delete the segment from the user equipment upondetermining that the calculated amount is lower than the thresholdvalue.
 15. The system of claim 11, wherein the control circuitryconfigured to search is further configured to determine whether thedatabase includes media asset listings with data corresponding to thedata associated with the recorded segment.
 16. The system of claim 11,wherein the control circuitry is further configured to: record a firstportion of the first media asset; determine that the first portion is anincomplete recording; record a second portion of the first media assetupon determining that first portion is an incomplete recording of thefirst media asset; and merge the first and the second portions to formthe segment.
 17. The system of claim 11, wherein the control circuitryconfigured to determine that the segment is an incomplete recording ofthe first media asset is further configured to compare a duration of thesegment to the duration of the first media asset based on dataassociated with the first media asset.
 18. The system of claim 16,wherein the first and second portions are recorded from differentsources.
 19. The system of claim 16, wherein the control circuitryconfigured to merge at least the first and second portions to form thesegment is further configured to concatenate the second portion to anend of the first portion.
 20. The system of claim 16, wherein thecontrol circuitry configured to merge at least the first and secondportions to form the segment is further configured to delete a listingfor the first or second portions from a recorded media asset listing.